A 22-year-old man is in custody after admitting to police he was the driver being chased Monday night when a Grand Prairie police officer was fatally wounded in a crash.
Grand Prairie Chief of Police Daniel Scesney called a press conference Thursday afternoon to announce the arrest of 22-year-old Colbie Hoffman. Scesney said Hoffman was taken into custody in Dallas Wednesday night after admitting to being behind the wheel of a silver Chevrolet Malibu with a fake paper tag that was being pursued by officer Brandon Tsai.
Police said earlier this week that a chase began when Tsai tried to stop the driver of a Malibu who failed to yield, but that the driver refused to stop. Tsai called for backup and both officers were following the vehicle when the driver took a sudden turn. The backup officer, who was positioned between Tsai and the Malibu, was hit from behind when he slowed down to make the turn. Scesney said the collision forced Tsai's cruiser onto its side and he crashed into a traffic pole.
The driver of the Malibu escaped after the crash and police had little more than a general description of the vehicle to go on, only adding that it had black rims, some cosmetic damage and a rectangular object or reflector on the right rear passenger side.
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Our detectives and officers had a mediocre picture of a car with a fictitious license plate. That's it. That's what we had to go on. To solve a case like that is incredibly difficult and these cops did not stop until that occurred.
Daniel Scesney, Grand Prairie Chief of Police
Scesney said officers looking for information on the Malibu poured over thousands of images recorded on North Texas roadways and from license plate cameras.
Officers then noticed a vehicle matching their description had been scanned multiple times near the intersection of Hensley Drive and Main Street and they decided to focus a search in that area.
Officers canvassing the area located other vehicles with temporary paper tags matching the same number as the tag on the Malibu parked outside a home on Hensley Drive. NBC 5 Investigates reported earlier this week that law enforcement sources told them the tag on the Malibu was first issued by the DMV this past spring and had since been reproduced hundreds of times.
While driving past the residence on Hensley, officers also spotted in the back a silver vehicle with no license plate matching their description of the Malibu.
Police later stopped a driver who left the home and said that person confirmed to officers the vehicle at the residence was the one they were looking for and they also identified the driver of that vehicle as Hoffman.
Grand Prairie Police obtained a search warrant and recovered the silver vehicle. Around that same time, the department got a call from the Dallas Police Department who said they had detained Hoffman after he called them and identified himself as the driver in the pursuit. Dallas Police said he told them he was calling them because he preferred not to be arrested in Grand Prairie.
Scesney said officers later learned Hoffman had been tipped off that Grand Prairie officers were at his home and he drove to Dallas to surrender. Dallas Police held him until Grand Prairie officers arrived to take him into custody.
As a "significant" symbolic gesture, Grand Prairie officers used Tsai’s own handcuffs on Hoffman, said the police chief.
“The message sent to all the brothers and sisters that wear this badge is that we’re not going to stop until we catch the person he was chasing,” he said. “I also think it sends a message to anybody who thinks it’s a good idea to come into the city of Grand Prairie and commit crime; it’s not a good idea.”
"Capturing Hoffman was a very intensive and collaborative effort that included every bureau of the GPPD, as well as the Dallas Police, the Dallas Fusion Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, as well as others in a variety of capacities," Scesney said.
Scesney said Hoffman was very forthcoming during an interview with investigators and that he provided them with a confession, though he declined to go into specifics about what was said.
Hoffman is facing at least two charges including evading arrest and detention causing death, a second-degree felony and a charge of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. The Dallas County District Attorney’s office is examining the case to determine if enhanced charges are appropriate, which could increase the severity of any punishment should Hoffman be found guilty.
He is being held on two bonds totaling $275,000. It's not clear if he's obtained an attorney. Scesney added that Hoffman was also booked on eight additional warrants out of Waxahachie, Bedford, DeSoto and Grand Prairie.
Scesnsy said the department is next prioritizing identifying the source of the phony paper tag and pursuing changes to the DMV's paper tag system at the legislative level.
The chief of police had a response when asked about criticism over the officers giving chase for a non-violent offense, saying the only person to blame is the suspect.
“We have a culture where individuals in our society feel emboldened to turn from police,” he said. “If a police officer gets behind you and turns on his lights, you’re required to stop. I’ve had enough of this trying to blame the officer for his actions. It’s ridiculous.”
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL, MEMORIAL SERVICE PLANNED FOR OFFICER
Scesney said Tsai's memorial service will be held Monday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. at Gateway Church on North Carrier Parkway.
The public is invited to attend a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. on Friday night at the department's Public Safety Building at 1525 Arkansas Lane.
CRASH HIGHLIGHTS DANGERS EXPOSED IN TEXAS' PAPER TAG SYSTEM
For more than a year NBC 5's investigative team has been looking into the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles' paper tag system and how criminals have been able to gain access to it and exploit it for millions of dollars in illicit gains.
NBC 5 Investigates learned from law enforcement sources that the number on the paper tag seen on the Malibu was first issued by the DMV this past spring and had since been reproduced hundreds of times. Click here to read more.
Paper tags can be legitimate, but they can also be entirely counterfeit if they were printed or copied and sold by a criminal abusing the state's temporary tag system.
NBC 5's reporting has exposed how criminals obtained dealer's licenses and used the state's online system to create and print thousands of tags that were then sold on the black market.
TEXAS DMV ANNOUNCES REDESIGN OF TEMP LICENSE TAGS
On Thursday, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles announced they were overhauling the design of the problematic temporary paper license tags issued by dealers to include enhanced security features aimed to reduce fraud.
The new tags, which the DMV said took several months to design, have a new look and embedded security features that will help police identify fake tags and increase the safety of traffic stops.
The DMV said Thursday that dealers will begin issuing the redesigned temp tags on Dec. 9.
Read more about the new tags here.
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